Bali, with a population of 4.2 million people, has long been a jewel in the crown of Indonesian tourism. But suffering from the impact of burgeoning tourist numbers, a throw-away culture and poor waste management, that crown is slipping.

Expressive, passionate, and just a little nervous, Melati, 16, and Isabel, 14, spoke for six minutes about a massive worldwide problem which has been apparent on Balinese beaches and in its surrounding oceans for decades, plastic pollution. Students of Green School Bali, the sisters have grown up on the island, experiencing first-hand how its environment has been progressively trashed.

The Creative Arts are providing information to people about climate change and water issues. I provide a sample of sites showing how artists, filmmakers, activists and the United Nations COP 21 and COP 22 are addressing these issues.

Most people are aware that about 70 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered by water. This is a considerable amount. However, only about 2.5 percent of this fluid can actually be considered fresh or drinkable water.

Agriculture has made human life not only better but ultimately possible for millennia, from ancient Egypt to Mesopotamia, Turkey, and Pakistan. This essential industry is now facing severe strains ranging from extreme weather to exponential population growth. Today’s farms must meld technology with forward-thinking practices that nourish rather than deplete the planet.

Having visited the Daintree Rainforest in Far North Queensland, walking and talking under its leafy green canopy with Venture Deeper guide Chris O’Dowd, listening to Chris’s unquenchable enthusiasm for his subject has changed the way I look at trees.

To bond with nature, we often visit parks, gardens, or perhaps, seek out a quiet spot in the mountains. Our humanity, it seems, is tied to the landscape. The cemetery, however, with its grim statues and wrought iron gates, is a destination left avoided.

The owner of the house had torn out the grass, bushes, trees and whatever else was living, and created an entirely artificial landscape: artificial turf for a lawn, plastic flowers in concrete pots. Nearly everything living had been covered over or removed altogether.

Water, water, everywhere…or is it? Water covers 70% of our planet, though fresh water required for drinking, bathing in, and irrigating our farm fields is only 3% of the world’s water. Our civilization depends on a plentiful supply of clean water, and yet in some parts of the world it iss becoming ever harder to obtain. Climate change and other factors have caused huge shortages of water across the developing world, and also in rich areas like the state of California, where a multi-year drought is still ongoing. As a result, around 1.1 billion people worldwide lack access to water and it is scarce for at least one month of the year for 2.7 billion more.